Well, that's a bit of a surprise...
In today's September 2022 Event broadcast, Apple announced the iPhone14 will be able to send emergency messages via satellite.
-- The phone display will give you a satellite finder and a graphic display for you to keep the phone pointed toward the satellite you're using
- To keep message exchanges shorter, you will be led through a series of selections on the screen to describe your emergency. The selections were developed in concert with emergency response providers.
- Messages will be processed by the phone (and servers) to shorten them to reduce bandwidth required for message exchange
- Land-based stations will relay messages via text to responders who accept them or via voice to responders who don't
-- In addition to the emergency SOS functions, Apple appears to be supporting something similar to Inreach's OK functionality.... an iPhone14 user can use the FindMy app to share his or her location to friends and family
-- Available starting in November
-- US and Canada coverage first
- Free for first two years on all iPhone 14s (no additional info provided on how much after that)
Here's a link to the announcement:
Emergency SOS via Satellite segment of Event broadcast
Edited by Old Crow, 07 September 2022 - 07:13 PM.
